Not sure which one you need?
Most shippers know their freight better than anyone, but trailer choice still trips people up. A load of steel coil and a load of boxed cleaning supplies can weigh the same and need completely different equipment. The quickest way to narrow it down is to think about three things: how the freight gets on and off the trailer, how much it weighs, and how soon it has to arrive.
| If your freight… | Usually start with |
|---|---|
| Is palletized, stays dry and goes through a dock door | Dry van |
| Loads by forklift from the side or by crane from above | Flatbed |
| Is too tall for a standard flatbed but within legal width | Step-deck |
| Is light, urgent and fits on about 40 feet of deck | Hotshot |
| Ships on the same lanes every week or month | Recurring lanes |
Use the free trailer selector tool for a recommendation in five questions, or read Hotshot vs. Flatbed vs. Dry Van for the trade-offs in plain language. If the answer still isn't obvious, tell us about your freight (dimensions, weight and photos help) and we'll talk through the equipment when we contact you the day we open.
What a good written quote includes
Whatever the equipment, a written truckload quote should follow the same format so you can compare offers line by line. It is the format we will use once we open:
- The all-in rate and exactly what it covers, including fuel.
- Conditional charges such as detention, layover, tarping or truck-ordered-not-used, each with its rate and the event that triggers it.
- Appointment ownership at pickup and delivery, so nobody assumes the other side booked it.
- Validity: how long the price holds before it needs a fresh look.
The How We Work page walks through a sample quote line by line.
Where we will focus
Hotshot and flatbed freight nationwide (lower 48). Dry van truckload across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. USA only — no cross-border, no drayage, no rail, no temperature-controlled freight. For dry van, that means a truckload that picks up and delivers within North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee.
If a lane falls outside that footprint, we'll tell you so when we contact you rather than take on freight we can't serve well.
What's outside our scope
Temperature-controlled freight, port and rail container moves, and cross-border shipments are outside our scope and will stay that way after we open. For hazardous materials, the full details (UN number, class, packing group and quantity) decide whether a load can be accepted at all, so have them ready when you tell us about your freight.